It was released in North America for the Xbox video game console on November 16, 2004, for the PlayStation 2 on November 30, 2004, and reached the GameCube on March 15, 2005. A Windows-based PC version was cancelled in April 2005 in favor of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. The general setting for the game is the Korean Peninsula, however, the PS2/Gamecube and Xbox platforms feature different campaigns. The PS2 campaign occurs in 2007 (tying in with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory), while the Xbox campaign is set in 2011. The Gamecube version also features the same campaign from the PS2 version. Ghost Recon 2 sports an updated graphics engine, the Havok 2 physics engine, new multiplayer options, voice command ability via microphone. The PS2 version generally received bad reviews, but the Xbox version was met with better reception.

Like all games involving a war or conflict between North Korea and South Korea, this game is currently banned in South Korea. And it has been criticized by the North Korean government for its storyline. However, South Korea has recently decided to allow such games to be sold in the interest of freedom of speech, so this game among other games featuring war on the Korean Peninsula may become available there soon.

Contents

Gameplay

Ghost Recon 2, though very much like the original Ghost Recon, has some very key differences.

In the Xbox version, an over-the-shoulder view has been added and players can switch between the original and the "OTS view".

The threat indicator has been removed in favor of a radar.

The Demolitions Class has been completely removed (by expanding the kits to include primary weapon, side arm, explosive and rocket launcher/laser designator for every class).

Two new classes have been introduced: "Lone Wolf" and "Grenadier" (the Grenadier class is actually a splinter class; it used to be simply part of the Rifleman class).

The OICW has moved from a typical rifleman weapon to become the new "Lone Wolf" weapon.

The ability to choose your team and allocate skill points has been taken away.

You can no longer switch between soldiers during a mission; as soon as you are killed, the mission fails.

There is no longer a planning screen to coordinate each squad's movement; you only control one team, and orders are given to them via menus.

The Lone Wolf class has many abilities that other classes lack (such as air-burst grenades, laser designator for air strikes, high explosive and armour piercing rounds etc), but in several missions, one must work alone, thus this weapon 'replaces' his squad.

In the single player campaign, you play as Captain Scott Mitchell, a veteran of several conflicts and the new leader of the Ghosts. Mitchell is described as "a consummate soldier" and can pick weaponry from any class. In several missions he must be inserted in Lone Wolf mode and work completely on his own.

Storyline (PS2)

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2 (PS2) Game Introduction

The year is 2007, and tensions with North Korea are at an all time high. On July 4, 2007, a North Korean Super-Silkworm Missile hit and sank the USS Clarence E. Walsh. In response, the President sends in the Ghosts to push North Korea back. When General Paik tries to blow up a dam to escalate the war, the Ghosts, under the command of Captain Scott Mitchell, stop him and his plans temporarily. As revealed in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, the missile was launched from a North Korean missile battery subverted by a PMC's algorithm.

After three months, General Paik re-activates North Korea's nuclear stockpile and the Ghosts are sent back in to take him out. In the final mission, the Ghosts fight through a complex that was made as a remote command post for the North Korean President. Paik commits suicide and the Ghosts blow up a Taipodong Missile.

Storyline (Xbox)

Ghost Recon 2 Intro

The year is 2011, and amidst a time of disastrous famine and political turmoil, the people of North Korea are facing a time of great change. The government has invested too much into its military buildup and it has become impossible to preserve both the military and North Korea's infrastructure, so in an attempt to curb the damage done by the famine, the government cuts off military funding so that it may support the needs of the people. Infuriated, the North Korean military mobilizes against its government, and its leader is the brutal and charismatic General Jung Chong-Sun.

General Jung succeeds in overpowering the government, and although they remain in office, Jung has almost total control of his country. With total control over the military, Jung gains access to the country's nuclear arsenal and makes preparations to start a war among the surrounding Asian powers. This prompts NATO and the United States to send a large peacekeeping force to shut down Jung's operations before he destabilizes the Korean Peninsula. Great Britain, France, and Germany all openly cooperate with the U.S., but support from South Korea, China, and Japan remain unclear throughout the game.

The Ghosts are among the American contingent sent to stop Jung, and Captain Scott Mitchell heads their operations. This small team of men and women cooperates with NATO forces along enemy lines to liberate villages, cut off Jung's supplies, and to seize nuclear weapons. Throughout the game, General Jung seizes several civilian centers and attacks some of North Korea's largest cities, such as Sinp'o and Hyesan. Working actively with Allied troops on the battlefield, Cpt. Mitchell and his team stave off a great deal of attacks on cities and NATO bases while striking Jung's war supplies wherever they go. Mitchell also works with special forces from foreign nations who are specialized in certain combat skills needed to handle certain operations. Throughout the game, the Ghosts must cut off Jung's supply of gas in order to deprive their combat vehicles of fuel. With each strike, Jung gets more desperate in winning the war, and in one mission, the Ghosts have to seize three nuclear warheads from a train before they reach civilian-populated areas. Within the final few missions of the game, General Jung launches a last-ditch effort to defeat the NATO forces and to destroy a major city. He invades a dam near Hamhung, and plants a nuclear warhead within the structure. If detonated, thousands would die, so the Ghosts and Capt. Mitchell are tasked with securing the dam, disarming the warhead, and pursuing General Jung before he flees to regroup his forces.

Missions

Expansion

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike is a stand-alone expansion pack for Ghost Recon 2 available exclusively on the Xbox. Summit Strike included 11 new single-player missions, as well as new weapons (such as the FN SCAR) and an expanded multiplayer game. It was released on August 2, 2005.